In Her Own Words:
Seven years ago, I decided to do something to take care of my 3 children, Hanifa 10 years, Karim 9 years and Shannon 6 years.
My husband Abbas works in a factory [and his] salary is not enough to make ends meet.We run out of food and essentials by the 20th of every month. I do a bit of domestic work to pull through. If I work away from home, who will take care of my children?
I was considering making brooms as good brooms are in demand and that would make a good business. In addition the raw materials are easily available locally. With this idea, I approached AMBA for an initial loan of $45 to start my venture.With this loan I started the business and within a short time, I made $7. My family and I were very happy. I bought new clothes for all my three children. Soon I started making $10 to $15 every month while taking care of my children at home.Now I was able to manage my household better. Having gained my confidence and honor, I forced all my children to work hard in the school so that they have [a] better opportunity in life. In two years time I was able to return my loan with interest to AMBA. I also recommended my neighbors for a loan to AMBA and I started participating in AMBA cooperative bank[ing] and started depositing savings every month. From my own transformational experience, I decided to help others so that they [can] enjoy the same benefit. In the meantime I met a member of [the] Share and Care Foundation™ who is partnered with AMBA. I was moved by his gesture and started to touch his feet to thank Share & Care. He held my hands and said, “You are the one who did all the work. You should thank God for giving you the opportunity and capability.”
